Slight progress made in long BART labor dispute

OAKLAND (AP) — With about a week to go before a possible second strike, BART officials and labor leaders say they made slight progress in negotiations but remain far on wages.

The parties said Thursday that they reached a deal on pension contributions, but are still at odds over compensation, health care and safety.

The unions want nearly a 12 percent raise over three years while BART is still proposing a 10 percent increase over four years.

Meanwhile, a new poll by the Bay Area Council says 77 percent of residents surveyed oppose a strike. The poll also says 63 percent of residents think workers should accept BART's offer while 6 percent say BART should accept the unions' proposal.

If no deal is reached, the unions could strike as early as Oct. 11 when a 60-day cooling-off period ordered by Gov. Jerry Brown expires.